Tactics
by Blind and Painted Avatards
Summary: Short sweet mostly Kataang oneshots and a lot of feeling sorry for Sokka.
1. Tactics

Sokka and Suki sat in Iroh's tea shop playing a game of Pai Sho

Sokka and Suki sat in Iroh's teashop playing a game of Pai Sho. Their friends had all retired to separate corners and pretty much all of them had fallen asleep. It killed Sokka how when he and Suki decided to play Pai Sho, everyone decided to stop caring.

He surveyed all his friends as Suki took her turn; Iroh was out on the patio playing his tsungi horn, Mai and Zuko has fallen asleep in their own little corner with Mai's head resting on Zuko's shoulder and Zuko's head resting on her head. Toph lay spread out in the middle of the room, taking up as much space as she possibly could and was snoring loudly. Momo lay on the end of the table, also snoring (though no where near as loudly as Toph). And Aang and Katara had also fallen asleep in a corner, with Aang slumped against the wall, head hanging, their legs intertwined and Katara's head on Aang's chest with two flat palms also placed there as to steady herself.

Sokka looked back at the board as Suki continued to think, then quickly looked back and Katara and Aang. Something wasn't right… "I'll be right back," Sokka said to Suki as he scurried over to Aang and Katara's corner.

"Wait! Sokka! Where are you going? It's your turn!" Suki began harshly whispering before she turned around and saw Sokka creeping towards his sleeping sister, "Sokka… They're not doing anything! They're perfectly quiet and if you wake them up-"

"I'm not gonna wake them up Suki, relax," Sokka replied, "I just don't like where my sister's leg is."

"Sokka it's fine! They're a couple and it's not like my leg hasn't been there!" Suki argued.

"You're not my little sister. And besides we're older. This'll just take a second, and I'm not gonna wake either of them up," Sokka replied.

Sokka carefully knelt down beside Aang, and slowly extended his arms so that they reached Katara's leg, which was nestled in between Aang's. Sokka really hoped that they both weren't aware of where her leg had been when they had fallen asleep. He slowly, very gently grasped Katara's ankle, and lifted her leg out from in between Aang's and set it down with her other leg, next to him instead. Sokka let out a breath, he had woken anyone up, but as he did, Aang twitched a bit and mumbled something incoherent. Sokka froze on the spot before realizing Aang was still asleep. Sokka made his way back to the Pai Sho board and finally took his turn.

Roughly 20 minutes later the Pai Sho game was heating up, and everyone had begun to wake up. First was Momo who began to chatter incessantly flying around Sokka and Suki's heads as they played. Next was Toph, who yawned, spat, then began to pick her toes. She was followed by Mai and Zuko who gave each other a peck on the lips before going over to watch the game. "Who's winning?" Iroh asked them as he walked back in the room.

"I am!" Sokka said with glee at the same time Suki said, "He is," with no enthusiasm.

Last to wake up were Aang and Katara, looking a bit bedraggled from their nap. Unlike the others, they didn't get up immediately, but sat a bit, taking their time to wake up. Aang played with Katara's hair, braiding it and unbraiding it while she leaned against him and stared out into space. Aang paused a moment in his newest braid in Katara's hair, "I think I slept on my left leg funny," he said as he went to move it. Katara shifted to leaning against the wall so Aang could bend his leg.

As he did so, a small circular object clattered to the ground, leaving Aang with a small red circle pressed into his calf. Katara reached across him to grab the object that had imprinted itself on Aang discovering… "A Pai Sho tile?" She said thoroughly perplexed as Sokka turned a shade of deep purple on the other side of the room. Suki just smirked, saying a thousand things while doing so. "Sokka, this tile wouldn't have anything to do with you would it?" Katara asked sweetly.

"I'd run if I were you," Toph advised him. And taking her advice, Sokka got up and ran out the door with Katara right behind him yelling, "I don't know what you did, but I'm gonna find out!"

"So," Suki said trying to break the silence, "who wants to play me next?"

"I'll play," Aang said gratefully, trying to get his mind off of the lone tile.

Aang and Suki set up the board while still listening to Katara's angry shrieks to find out what had happened and Sokka's frantic attempts to avoid becoming soaking wet.

"You'd think he'd have learned by now," Mai commented to no one in particular.

A/N: Wow, I haven't written for a really long time…


	2. All I Wanted

The sweet smell of cinnamon drifted into the main room from the kitchen

The sweet smell of cinnamon drifted into the main room from the kitchen. Sokka could also smell some sort of fresh fruit being cut up, and began sniffing the air vigorously. He caught some sort of greens, maybe a sauce of some kind with the sharp scent of vinegar and some rice that was mixed with the cinnamon he guessed. But something was missing… Sokka's thoughts were interrupted by Katara bringing the steaming dishes to the table and placing them just out of his reach.

"Ok everyone eat up," Katara said with a smile.

"It smells delicious," Suki said with a hearty sniff of the steam still pouring out of the rice.

"And it tastes even better!" Sokka said, mouth already full. On that note small side conversations began and everyone chattered idly as they ate, taking their time. Everyone but Sokka that is. He was stuffing his face silently as though Ozai would burst in and steal their food at any minute. The only times he actually spoke all started with, "Pass the…"

"Hey Katara, pass the meat," Sokka said eyes still on his plate. His chopsticks halted though. Meat… he hadn't smelled meat. "Katara, meat?" he said eyes full of hope.

"I… I didn't make any, Sokka," She said, "I kind of thought you wouldn't mind."

Sokka's jaw dropped. Didn't mind? Didn't mind? The meat was the best part of the meal! Mooselion, elkdeer, seal jerky, these were the things that made the meal complete.

"Wait a minute…" Sokka said realization dawning on him, "You've been cooking less meat than normal lately… well before this I mean…"

"I think it's great," Aang cut in.

"You don't count! You're a vegetarian!" Sokka yelled.

"That's the point, Sokka! I think we should all try to eat less meat and be more like Aang," Katara snapped back.

"You!" Sokka said turning to Aang, "You've corrupted my sister!"

"He hasn't corrupted me, Sokka!" Katara shot, "He's enlightened me and taught me so much. More than you ever did."

"I taught you tons of stuff! And I'm—enlightened you?"

"Yes," Katara said turning a bit red.

"So he's enlightened you then? And you've stopped cooking meat," Sokka said calmly, "What's next are you gonna shave your head?!"

"I just might, Sokka! And what are you gonna do about it? NOTHING!"

"Come on Aang, we're leaving," Katara said regaining her composure as she grabbed Aang's hand and began to lead him out the door. Aang shot Sokka a look that was apologetic but somewhat smug, while Sokka just stared, jaw slightly agape. He turned to Suki who was clearly struggling to look empathetic and not laugh and said simply, "All I wanted was some meat."


	3. Bonding

Sokka walked in step with his sister, looking at all the fruits and vegetables and hoping he could buy some jerky or any other kind of meat. "You know," Katara sighed next to him, putting her arm around his shoulders, "It's kind of nice doing something just the two of us for a change. It brings back good memories."

"It's just the market, Katara. We're shopping for food. What's so fun about that?"

"We never get time to 'bond' anymore. Like when dad forced us to spend time together. I didn't realize until now how much I missed being with you."

"Yeah this is kind of nice," Sokka agreed, "And now that you mention it, we really haven't got to spend any time alone together for more than a year."

The two decided not to rush through the market buying just what they needed quickly to get back home, but to savor their time together, so they meandered through, reliving funny childhood moments and arguing friendly about the type of melon they would bring back and other things they saw in the market.

Katara was busy looking at greens when she heard Sokka scoff. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"That couple over there," Sokka said as he nodded to a couple with a betrothal necklace around the age of 16.

"They're so cute," Katara said with what Sokka picked up as a hint of envy in her voice.

"They're so young!" Sokka replied.

"So?"

"They're too young to be married."

"No they're not! They look about 16!" Katara shot back.

"Yeah, and that's way too young."

"No it's not. Yue was going to be married at 16," Katara said icily knowing Yue was his sore spot.

"It was an arranged marriage. Leave her out of it," Sokka said voice full of stone.

"No, because you know that if she hadn't been engaged already you would have ended up proposing just so you could be with her, and now that she's gone you're just bitter," Katara spat.

"Well I think you're defending them because you're caught up in your own little romance with Aang. You're jealous! And let's face it you're not getting married any time soon."

"I'm not jealous! You are!"

"You're getting this all backwards, Katara!"

"No you are!"

"Katara you can never just leave me be can you? You always have to bring this up! You can't let me get over it!" Sokka yelled, tears in his eyes.

"Sokka… I didn't mean… I mean… Losing Yue was really hard… I shouldn't have said what I did… And maybe I am…. Jealous I mean… I'm… I'm really sorry."

Sokka rubbed his eyes, and looked bitterly at his sister before saying, "I guess I was out of line too."

Katara opened her arms for a hug but Sokka held up his hands and backed away.

"Woah there! For this apology to be complete, there has to be some exchange of dried and salted seal," Sokka said firmly. Katara laughed before grabbing his hand and leading him off to a jerky stall to pick out an acceptable form of apology.

A/N: jeez I really need to write a non sad Sokka one… poor dude…

Er wow this turned out a lot more depressing than I intended it.


	4. Sleepless

Aang felt something ice cold brush his leg

Aang felt something ice cold brush his leg. He shifted to face the other direction, eyes fluttering open, but not doing him much good in the dark so he shut them once again. He felt the cold on his bare chest now, and he felt he had to acknowledge it. "Katara, your hands and feet are freezing!"

"Sorry, that's just how they always are…" she replied in a an unnecessary whisper.

Aang sighed, and closed his eyes once more, the warm feeling of sleep beginning to take him again. – Until he felt the ice on his chest once more.

"What is it, Katara?"

He heard her take a big gulp of air and let it out dramatically. "I can't sleep."

"What do you want me to do?" Aang responded sleepily.

"I duno," she replied, "I guess I shouldn't bother you. Just go back to sleep."

Aang was more than happy to oblige and he nestled himself deep in the pillows and blankets before once again closing his eyes and drifting into his subconscious.

The bed creaked and the sheets began to swish as Katara adjusted herself. Eight seconds more. Swish. Swish. Swish. Creak. Eight seconds more. Aang bounced as he felt the tremors of Katara repeatedly bouncing to turn herself over. Creak. Swish. Bounce. Pause. Swish. Creak. Creak. It wasn't until Aang actually bounced an inch off the bed that he opened his eyes.

"Katara?"

"Hmm?" she responded, eyebrows raised.

"Are you still having trouble sleeping?" he asked levelly.

"Yes!" she erupted, "I'm really tired but I can't find a comfortable position and I can't fall asleep! My brain won't shut up!"

"Try writing a letter in your head," he suggested, "sometimes that helps me."

"Ok thanks," Katara said a little more calmly.

Again Aang turned over trying to settle into sleep. He heard something though, and being paranoid as he was, Aang grew tense, all sense of sleep leaving him as he became alert, listening intently. It was… mumbling. "Katara…" Aang grumbled as he turned towards her finding that she had her arms straight up in the air- writing.

"Katara I meant write it in your head- Not the air!" he said now getting frustrated.

"I'm sorry," she murmured as Aang turned over again. "Dear Universe," Katara began under her breath, "I have a perfect boyfriend and an hot best friend, but my brain just won't shut up."

"Katara!"

"I'm sorry!" she was almost in tears, "I just can't sleep!"

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you," Aang replied with remorse in his voice. "I understand what its like to not be able to sleep. Before I ran away I was almost never able to fall asleep." He felt Katara's cold hands on his chest again, just as cold feet entangling themselves with his. He looped his arm around her waist and her head settled into the space between his ribs and arm.

"It was so hard with all of the information swirling around in my head, it was like my brain wouldn't cease when all I needed was sleep. It was like I was my own enemy. I tried everything but nothing really worked. I think the only time I successfully got a full night's sleep before I ran away was when Gyatso came in and talked to me," Aang looked down at Katara, and in the dark he could clearly see she was fast asleep. She was breathing deeply, with a look of complete peace on her face. Her torso was an excellent source of heat, and Aang figured he would need all the heat he could get tonight, because her hands remained on his chest, still cold as ever.

**A/N: Haha, have u ever had one of these nites? When u totally cudnt fall asleep no matter wut u did? Katara's letter was written by TZ (Tophlike one) not me. U know its tru. (We consider zuko her best friend)**

**Also its been pointed out tht aang wud b the one more likely not able to sleep but I figured tht aang's so hyper during the day tht at nite he'd want to just sleep, but Katara isn't as hyper during the day and she rises with the moon, and it must b hard to sleep when ur tht like powerful and stuff…**


	5. Skybender

Aang needed it to be perfect

Aang needed it to be perfect. He scoured every stand in the market, looking for something to spark his inspiration. He looked at precious gemstones, fine velvets and laces, beautiful ribbons and dresses, but nothing seemed right. Nothing was reminiscent of Katara in any way.

"Maybe I should just come back tomorrow…" Aang said, convinced the market stalls had defeated him. Hands in his pockets, he began to trudge out of the market but something caught his eye.

Aang walked over to the stand, finding it more simple than the others he had previously been perusing. It had a fine selection of smoothed rocks of all different colors and sizes. The rock that had first drawn Aang to the stand was a deep sapphire blue stone that matched Katara's eyes.

He picked up the rock, holding it gently, thinking for sure this was what he had been looking for. Aang held if for a few more seconds before lowering it back to the table. It hadn't felt right to him. Getting something the color of her eyes, it was so cliché and unoriginal. This needed to be the most wonderful gift she had ever been given.

Aang once more began to examine the stones, seeing colors from the gold of Zuko's eyes to the pure black of oil. Just as he was about to give up again, he saw something glistening out of the corner of his eye.

The stone was a deep purple, almost black, with stars miniaturized and glistening from within. It seemed so familiar. Where had he seen anything like this before? Aang took a moment to realize, "The cosmos!" he said aloud. It was the place he had chosen not to let Katara go. It was the place he realized how deep his love for her really ran.

He quickly paid the merchant and pocketed the stone, hurrying back to Appa, as though afraid someone would steal the item he had worked so hard to acquire. Aang got back to the palace, and ran to the stables hiding behind his bison, completing the gift.

He placed the stone in his palms and spread them apart, causing the stone to morph from an oval to more of a heart-like shape. Nice, subtle, but still there. Next he pushed a hole through the top of the heart about the circumference of his pinky finger. And lastly Aang took out a thin black cord and threaded it through the hole, making sure to keep it long so Katara could wear it with her mother's necklace. He figured it would rest just above her heart, right where he wanted it to go.

Aang pocketed the now complete necklace, patted Appa's side and strolled out of the barn, eager to meet his girlfriend in the gardens now that he was almost positive he was about to give her the best gift she had ever received. He was grinning ear to ear and when he arrived Katara immediately noticed. "What's got you so happy?" she asked with a laugh.

"Oh ya know," Aang said trying to come up with a decent excuse, "it's a nice night…" he finished lamely.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, before changing the subject, "So how was your day today?"

"It was fine," she said simply, "How was yours?" she asked a bit more playfully.

"Well, erm actually… I got you something."

"Why would you get me something? Is it a special occasion?" she asked perplexed.

"No… Does a boyfriend need an occasion to spoil his girlfriend?"

"I suppose not," she laughed.

Aang dug deep into his pocket, fingers closing around the necklace. "Close your eyes," he said gently. Katara obeyed. "Now open your hands." She did so and Aang placed the smooth stone in her palm. "Open them."

"Aang…" she said breathlessly, "this is beautiful." Tears started to fill her eyes now as Aang smiled sheepishly. "It looks like you took a piece of the sky and molded it into heart for me to wear around my neck…" Katara exclaimed with awe. She giggled, "Are you a skybender now Mr. Avatar?"

Aang was silent, still grinning, almost radiating joy. Katara laughed again, "At this point I'd believe it. Anything's possible with you."

"Here, let me help you put it on," he said taking the necklace from her. He gently put the necklace over her head, and made sure it was positioned in the perfect place, hand lingering for a second on the heart.

Katara pressed Aang's fingertips down so his entire hand was lying on top of the pendant. Her hand found its place on top of his and the couple moved closer. "Thank you, Aang," Katara murmured, her warm breath on his mouth. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, soon becoming more heated more passionate, but one thing stayed the way it was. Both of their hands were still resting on the cool piece of the cosmos around Katara's neck.

A/N: yay kataang fluff! I actually have a necklace like this… TZ and I were talking about it and she said it looked like the cosmos where aang didn't let Katara go… and so of course a story was born. God we relate fricken everything to avatar! We have a disease…


	6. The Impossible

Mai, Ty Lee, Toph, Katara, and Suki sat in a circle, lounging about in the shade

Mai, Ty Lee, Toph, Katara, and Suki sat in a circle, lounging about in the shade, a bowl of cherries in the middle.

"It's sooo hot," Suki said sluggishly as she fanned herself with her weapon.

"You'll get used to it after a while," Mai said unenthusiastically as she bit a cherry.

"It's kind of nice," Katara said, closing her eyes as she laid back against a tree.

"I prefer colder weather than this," Suki sighed head flopping down onto her arms.

"Well of course you like cold!" Toph exclaimed, "Look where your boyfriend's from. My guess is his hands are pretty cold a lot of the time." Toph smirked, as Suki's face reddened.

"No offence Toph, but I'd really rather not picture what my brother does in his spare time," Katara said with a slightly appalled look.

"Is Sokka a good kisser, Suki?" Ty Lee asked eagerly as Katara put her head in her hands.

"Yeah, I guess so," Suki said reluctantly, "Except sometimes when he gets a little too enthusiastic…" At this everyone burst out laughing- everyone minus Suki, who was turning redder by the second, and Katara who looked as though she were in pain.

"Mai, what about Zuko?" Ty Lee asked.

"What about him?" Mai replied with a skeptical look.

"Is he a good kisser?" Ty Lee prodded.

"He looks like he would be," Katara put in mouth full of cherry, getting odd looks from everyone.

"And _how_ did you come to that conclusion?" Toph asked. Katara swallowed her cherry slowly.

"I've seen him eat an apple," Katara said quietly, "You can tell if someone's a good kisser by the way they eat an apple…"

"So is he?" Ty Lee asked again.

"Really good," Mai said simply with a smile.

Katara could sense the question moving to her now, so she grabbed a handful of cherries, and stuffed them in her mouth, hoping Ty Lee would get the drift and decide not to ask her. "So, Katara," Ty Lee began, "is Aang a good kisser?" Katara took her time chewing her mouthful of cherries, while Toph burst out laughing.

"Isn't he just a kid?" Mai asked, "I would have thought he wouldn't be good because he has no experience other than Katara."

"Hey! He's actually really good!" Katara said, spitting cherry over everyone, "I duno where he learned to kiss, but he's amazing!"

Everyone was silent, except Toph who was openly laughing at Katara. Heat rushed to her face. Trying to get her mind off of her current embarrassment, Katara plucked a cherry stem and put it in her mouth, working her jaw and tongue furiously.

Toph's laughs faded to chuckles, and then faded all together. "Sugar Queen, what are you doing?"

"Trying to tie a knot in the cherry stem," Katara answered, eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"And why are you trying to do that?" Toph asked. Katara shrugged, still trying to create a knot.

"I'm gonna try," Ty Lee said enthusiastically grabbing a cherry stem. Everyone followed suit, wanting to see if they could do it. Jaws began to move, tongues working ferociously.

"Anyone got one yet?" Toph asked, face screwed up, still trying. Everyone shook their heads, still trying to do the impossible.

It was then that Sokka walked up. "Hey guys, whatcha doin?"

"Trying to tie knots in cherry stems," Katara replied, "Now go away."

"You know… if you successfully tie a knot in one it means you're a good kisser," Sokka said, not leaving.

"Great," Katara said sarcastically, "Take this stem, and when _you_ successfully tie a knot in it you can come back and talk to us." Katara handed Sokka several cherries before pushing him away.

"He's never coming back," Toph said.

"Is it even possible?" Suki asked, "I mean, none of us has gotten it yet…"

"I was close a few times," Katara said, face still screwed up in concentration.

Everyone kept trying, so far to no avail. Sokka had vanished from the bottom of the hill for a moment and had returned with Aang and Zuko, but so far none of them came up the hill to show their success.

"Hey look, here comes Aang," Toph said with a chuckle, "Probably to tell us that it's impossible…"

"Guys look at this!" Aang said, glowing with pride as he held up a cherry stem with a loose knot in the middle. The heads of Suki, Toph, Mai and Ty Lee swiveled towards Katara, all with knowing smiles on their faces. "That's awesome, Aang!" Katara said also glowing with pride at the knowledge that Aang really was the a good kisser. Much better than Zuko and Sokka in any case.

"I can show you if you want," Aang said to her.

"That would be nice," she replied as she got up, leading him back to the palace with cherries in hand.

"Well we sure got ripped off," Mai said throwing her disintegrating cherry stem in the grass.


	7. Concerning Zuko

Suki tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, closing a drawer with a bump of her hip

Suki tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, closing a drawer with a bump of her hip. To her left, Katara let out a puff of air, blowing strands of her own hair off of her face while stirring the pot of stew they were cooking. "You know," Suki said breathlessly, chopping celery rapidly, "You're a pretty lucky girl."

Katara looked up from the stew, spoon poised in her hand, confusion clear upon her face. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, I just thought of it," Suki replied, now tipping the celery into the pot, "You've got an amazing brother, the avatar as your boyfriend, and tons of close friends who love you. And a really hot best friend," she added after a moment of thought.

"A hot best friend?" Katara asked, eyebrows raised skeptically, "That's only slightly narcissistic, Suki."

"I meant best guy friend," Suki answered with an eyeroll, "I counted myself as the close friends who love you."

Katara just laughed as Suki continued on, "C'mon, you've got to admit you've got it good."

"I do. I don't deny it," Katara said forcefully, "I just find it funny that you call Sokka 'amazing' and Zuko 'hot' rather than the other way around."

Suki reddened slightly, before pressing her, "Oh come on, Katara, don't tell me you don't think Zuko's hot."

"Ok, ok, he's hot," she said with a chuckle, "In all honesty though, he's not just hot, he's totally sexy!"

"Oh I know!" Suki gushed, "He's so strong! I bet he could pick me up and lift me over his head no problem."

"And have you ever smelled him?" Katara added, "Every time he walks by I have to subtly sniff the air."  
"I do that too. Sometimes I think I'm too noticeable though," Suki said, now laughing, "Oh and his hair!"

"It's amazing! I just want to run my hands through it."

"It's always so perfect!" Suki stated further.

"Have you ever seen his six pack? When he takes off his shirt when he's firebending with Aang," Katara mimed fainting dramatically.

"Do you think it has something to do with the fact that he's a firebender?" Suki said returning to all seriousness, "I mean he's a firebender… And he's hot… "

Katara now burst out laughing. Trying to catch her breath she choked out, "Suki, that was the worst pun I have ever heard! And I have been living with Sokka my whole life."

"No, seriously though!" Suki said, still dead serious, "I know it's not genetics, so why is Zuko so…"

Suki stopped dead, trying to figure out something to say, anything, as none other than Zuko, flanked by Sokka and Aang walked into the kitchen.

"Why am I so what?" Zuko asked.

"So… so… so… so hungry?" Suki said with a squeak.

"Hungry?" Zuko asked again eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, how do you three always get so hungry when it's time for dinner? I mean what have you been doing?" Katara said with an awkward chuckle.

"Uh, Katara…?" Aang asked nervously.

"Yes…?" Katara replied hesitantly.

"Your soup is on fire," Sokka stated bluntly, while the two girls hurriedly tried to put out the flames and salvage the stew.

"Dinner might be a little late tonight," Suki said remorsefully.

"I guess the soup just got a little to hot…" Zuko said in regard to it bursting in to flame.

Katara and Suki sniggered, trying to stifle their laughter, but to no avail. Sokka, Zuko and Aang looked from one to the other, trying to figure out what was so funny about burnt soup. "I guess being in the hot kitchen too long kind of messed with their heads," Sokka said, looking down upon his sister and girlfriend in alarm. This however caused the girls to collapse completely, until on the floor in hysterics.

"Er… Why don't we just finish making dinner," Aang suggested, as he and Sokka helped Katara and Suki onto their feet and out into the main room, placing them on the couch as their laughter subsided. Sokka walked back into the kitchen to start fixing dinner, but Aang was more reluctant to leave, eyes on the still chuckling Katara. "We're fine, Aang. Just go help them make dinner," she said, taking deep breaths.

Aang backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off of them until he reached the kitchen. "There is no way they'll be able to cook an edible meal," Suki said, finally calm.

"Do you maybe want to go out to eat?" Katara suggested, agreeing with Suki. As if to confirm Suki's unspoken 'yes' they heard the sound of glass being smashed, followed by a pot being dropped, and an "Aang, that doesn't go in soup!" and a "Sokka, are you sure that's meant to be eaten?" Suki and Katara were out the door before any more was heard.

A/N: oh wow I've not written for a long time. I went on vacation for a week, then I had to do my homework, and then I had writers block. MUST BLOCK WRITERS BLOCK! Er yeah this was inspired by basically just conversations of pretty much every one of my friends on how hot zuko is, and Katara and suki never really have much interaction in the show so… yeah. Well if anyone has any requests for cute oneshots, they'll be willingly taken…


	8. Now You Know

Aang sat in the palace gardens, enjoying the scent of the honeysuckle and the warm sun on his back

Aang sat in the palace gardens, enjoying the scent of the honeysuckle and the warm sun on his back. His eyes began to drift shut, when he spied a figure in the distance, and quickly opened his eyes again. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the figure coming closer at an alarmingly fast rate. _It was Zuko_, Aang realized_, but his running wasn't normal, he seemed to be carrying something, was it… was it a person?_

Aang quickly got to his feet running out to meet Zuko. As he got closer, Aang realized it was a woman, and his heart rate sped up, as he remembered that Katara was on a walk with Zuko earlier. The two reached each other, Zuko breathing heavily, and holding Katara in his arms, just as Aang had feared.

"It was an assassin," Zuko panted, "She needs healing. You take her. You run faster." Zuko gently laid Katara in Aang's outstretched arms, and Aang took off, using his airbending to run faster than humanly possibly, Katara's uncharacteristically pale head swaying as he ran.

"HELP! We need help!" Aang shouted as he collapsed in the main entrance hall, Katara still in his arms. Sokka, Mai, Suki, Toph and a group of Zuko's servants came running at his call. Sokka stared down in shock, while Suki quickly turned to the servants, "We need a healer!" and several hurried off as she turned on the remaining, "We need to get her to a bed, her room."

"I'll do it," Aang said, getting up and trudging down the hall, flanked by Suki, Toph and a still shocked Sokka.

Aang placed her gently onto her bed, as everyone gathered around. Suki once more took charge, "Sokka, go get some bandages and make sure the healer is on her way. Toph, how's Katara's heartbeat?"

"Seems ok to me," Toph said, with a note of unease in her voice.

"Ok, that's good," Suki said, "How's her breathing?"

"It sounds kind of labored," Toph replied, just as the healer strode into the room, followed by Sokka.

The healer set to work, finding injuries, healing as much as possible and bandaging them, with Suki, Sokka, Toph and Aang waiting anxiously to hear the complete diagnosis, and thanking heaven for the fact that healers from the North Pole had begun to start living in the Fire Nation.

After around ten minutes, the healer looked up at the four waiting friends. "Well, she'll be alright," the healer said grimly, "But she's got three broken ribs, one cracked one and she must've hit her head pretty hard. I'm not sure how long she'll be out for, but in the end she'll be ok." As the healer shut the door, the group let out a collective sigh of relief.

Aang walked slowly to the bed, looking down upon Katara. She looked so small, so pale, so weak. It was scary. This wasn't the Katara he knew. Aang brought a hand to his cheek, finding as he did so that it was wet. When was she going to wake up? What had happened? All he knew was what Zuko told him, "An assassin." He sank down next to the bed, just as Zuko burst through the door.

"Where is she? Is she ok?" was all that escaped his mouth before he was tackled to the ground.

"What did you do to my sister?" Sokka hissed menacingly.

"You meathead!" Toph said as she pulled Sokka off, allowing Zuko to get up, "Zuko didn't hurt your sister!"

"They went for a walk together! Then Aang comes back holding Katara's lifeless body!" Sokka shouted, trying to break free of Toph's grasp.

"What exactly happened Zuko?" Suki asked.

"I was going to tell you once I found out how Katara was. Please just tell me first!"

"She'll be fine, but she's got three broken ribs, one cracked and we're not sure how long she's going to be out," Aang said hoarsely.

"Well, that's pretty good news. I thought the damage would be a lot worse," Zuko said.

"Just tell us what happened," Aang said solemnly.

"Ok, ok. So, we were walking back home, and we'd just been to town, so we were talking and stuff and we weren't completely on guard, and that's when an assassin tried to take my life. Katara must've heard something because she crossed in front of me right when a boulder was dropped from pretty high up. If she hadn't have done that, I would be dead," Zuko said, dropping into a chair as he finished.

"There's not really anything we can do," Suki said quietly, "We should just let her rest." Everyone got up and filed out of the room, save for Aang.

"Aren't you coming?" Zuko asked, but received a stern shake of the head in return, and Sokka, placing a hand on his shoulder, silently telling him to leave Aang be.

Aang knelt by Katara's bedside, tears silently dripping down his face without his knowledge. Aang studied her face, tracing her cheekbones with his hands. Almost at a loss at what to do. He just held the knowledge that he didn't want to leave. And so he didn't. Days passed as Aang stroked her hair, watched the rising and falling of her breathing, and held her cold hands, all the while the tears being persistent and non ceasing. A few times Sokka or Zuko would visit Katara's bedside, but unlike Aang, they didn't stay long, and they tried to get Aang to eat something or to leave for a minute, but every time he refused, wanting to stay with Katara.

Mostly Aang was alone with his thoughts. And he realized how much it must have effected Katara when he had nearly died that night, and she had waited unsure of if he'd ever awake again. It must've been ten times as worse as this, and yet here he was, going slightly mad with grief.

Sleep rarely came to him, but the few times it did, his dreams were abrupt and unnerving. He had to make sure that Katara was still there, still tangible and still breathing after these dreams.

It was during one of these dreams that he woke in a cold sweat, and felt a hand on his cheek. He started, because he hadn't had any physical contact with anyone for about a week. Aang's eyes darted around the room before finally focusing on the person who had their hand resting upon him.

"Katara," he breathed, tears of relief wetting her hands.

"You were having a nightmare," she said with a slight smile.

"You're awake!" he said breathlessly, now cupping her face in his hands, "You're awake!" Aang was trembling now, barely able to keep himself up from exhaustion, lack of food and pure relief.

"I'm awake," she confirmed with a chuckle. She leaned in closer, their noses touching, "I take it you missed my company," Katara said as she closed the space between them, pressing her lips against his, her body following suit. Katara flinched as his arms found their normal spot around her waist.

She broke the kiss, panting from the pain in her ribs. "Have you been sleeping?" Katara asked Aang, knowing the answer from the telltale bags under his eyes. He shook his head with a smile, and began to kiss her again, but she pulled away after only a moment. "I'm sorry," she said, breathing heavily, "I can't do that right now." Katara closed her eyes a bit, as Aang's grin broadened. Katara's eyes opened once more as she scooted to one side of the bed, patting the free side for Aang to lie down on. He was quick to oblige.

"We both need some rest," Aang remarked, sinking into Katara.

"Mmhmm," she murmured before perking up again, "Aang?"

"Yeah?"

"Now you know how I felt after Ba Sing Se."

And with that she drifted into slumber, followed closely by Aang, who was still smiling.

A/N: wow this is wut happens when I say "I want to do a fluffy romantic oneshot now!" well its slightly depressing… and if you read "I am not dead" you'll notice that I used kind of the same premise, but in Katara's knocked out POV. I changed it slightly but that's what its originally based on. This is surprisingly happierish… yeah…


	9. The Past

Aang sat by the pond, legs crossed, eyes closed, taking deep breaths

Aang sat by the pond, legs crossed, eyes closed, taking deep breaths. The turtleducks watched him curiously, wondering why he wasn't feeding them like most people did when they came down to the pond. Aang slowly opened his eyes, grabbing a loaf of bread from his discarded robes and laying on his stomach, tearing pieces of bread and watching the turtleducks quack in a delighted frenzy.

Aang was so engrossed in watching the turtleducks that he didn't notice Katara approach behind him until he felt her cool hand on his shoulder. She was kneeling next to him, smiling at the turtleducks, just as he had been a minute ago.

Katara made eye contact with him now, smile turning a bit sadder. Her hand had been snaking down his spine, and she had reached skin that felt different. The skin that had been severely burned.

Aang's eyes closed as though he was in pain as Katara flattened her hand against the scar, covering it completely. "We can start all over," she said quietly, "New lives. No more fighting. Nothing remains to haunt us from the past."

"This will always be there though," he replied motioning to his back.

"I guess so," Katara said weakly.

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the turtleducks, Katara's hand not moving from Aang's gruesome scar. "I guess we shouldn't completely forget about the past," she said, "Scars remind us that these things did really happen. Without them I could probably completely forget the war ever happened. I want to, but if I did, I'd forget some good things too." Katara smiled down at Aang.

He looked down sadly, "You don't have to live with the constant reminder of it though."

"I don't," she said quietly, but looked down at her hands, faint white lines etched into the palms. She quickly dropped them though, and turned Aang's head towards hers, pulling him into her. Their lips connected, locking, but only for a second. "Think of me when you think of your scar," she murmured.

Aang nodded silently before once more claiming her lips as his own. As he felt Katara's hand press deeper into his scar, he realized he really wouldn't think of his failure, but of Katara, the girl pressing into it now, the girl making her mark on his mark. The girl who had saved him in more ways than one.

A/N: short sweet n cheesy! Yay cheesy!


	10. Do That Again

Katara had many interesting features

Katara had many interesting features. Her lips, her eyes, her cold hands. But one of the most interesting things about her was somewhat odd. Aang had discovered it on a seemingly normal day, and had been intrigued by it ever since.

"I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, I'm just saying most people don't have patches of pink cloth on their pants!" Sokka said.

"It was the only cloth I could find ok?" Katara retorted, "And it's better than walking around with a hole in the backside of your pants."

"I duno, I'd rather have people see my underwear…" Sokka replied after a few moments of thought. Katara's response was to stick her tongue out at her brother, then go back to patching up everyone else's clothes.

Aang, who had been watching the two fight with a smile on his face, was suddenly struck by a thought. "Hey Katara, do that again," he said with an inquisitive look.

"Do what?" she asked, "Yell at Sokka?"

"No," he said with a laugh, "Stick your tongue out again."

Katara raised an eyebrow, but did as Aang asked. He stared at her for a minute or two. "Suki, is it just me or does Katara have a really small tongue?" Katara glared at Aang, tongue still out.

"I guess so…" Suki said doubtfully, now sticking out her own tongue to compare sizes. "I guess she does," she said after a moment of consideration.

"Lemme see!" Sokka came over now, "Yeah, you're right! It's puny!"

Katara withdrew her tongue, "Ok yes we've established I have a small tongue. Why are you guys so interested in it anyway?"

"It's just funny that's all," Aang said with a smile.

Laughter was heard from across the room, and the four looked over to see Toph, feet on the table, having not bothered to partake in the small tongue discovery.

"What's so funny? My tongue is small. So what? It works for me just fine," Katara snapped.

"I'm laughing cause I feel sorry for Twinkletoes!" Toph replied, still unable to stop laughing.

Katara turned about five shades of red, Sokka's mouth dropped open, and now Suki was suppressing giggles. Aang just shrugged, "Hey, it's been ok so far." He got a glare from Sokka, and then thought for a minute, "I still think its funny."

A/N: tongue sizes are so entertaining. Huge tongues kind of freak me out though. The line that Toph says about feeling sorry for aang was inspired by iron woman. XD I felt like being really random today if you couldn't tell.


	11. Adaptation

Living alone was something new

Living alone was something new. There were none of Sokka's jokes to lighten the mood, none of Toph's nicknames, none of Zuko's brooding, and there wasn't Suki's warm smile. There was also no one walking in on them when they wanted to be alone. None of Toph's blunt comments that the two would have rather kept private and no threats from Sokka about killing Aang.

It was quiet, and at first it was eerie, but soon the two settled into it, immersed in just the sounds of water running, the wind and occasional animal noises.

It was also big, and with only two people, it often seemed empty and unwelcoming. With a few plants Aang decided to grow though, and the scents of Katara's meals floating through the air, it became cozy.

Aang and Katara learned to adapt from being in a large group in a small place to being a small group in a large place. They ended up being extremely comfortable with their new lifestyle.

So comfortable however, that when guests came over they were almost in a rush to get them to leave. Even if it were Sokka and Suki, Zuko and Mai or just Toph. The two felt their freedom was forfeit every time they came to call. They could no longer just lay down on the couch and kiss to their hearts content, but had to deal with Sokka chiding them on not abusing their privileges of having no supervision at such a young age and Zuko's lengthy speeches of how things were going in the Fire Nation.

Aang and Katara had learned to adapt to life without everyone, and now they needed to adapt to life with their frequent visits. Somehow, the two thought, this would be much harder to get used to than their first big change.

A/N: shrugs well its not good, but… I'm having writers block… any suggestions are totally welcome pleading look


	12. Happy Birthday Toph

Today was her day

Today was her day. Today she could belch as loud as she wanted without Katara's disapproving lectures. Today was the day she could do what she wanted. Today was her birthday.

The party was brilliant, everyone having a great time, including Mai whom Zuko had gotten to dance with a smile on her face no less. People from all over had come to wish her a happy birthday, the renowned metal-bender, a Bei-Fong, and the Avatar's friend.

Sokka dragged Suki over to Toph's side, both sweating and smiling, having just been dancing. "Hey Toph," Suki panted, "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks!" she replied, yelling over the Flameo's loud music, "Hey have you guys seen Katara? I haven't had a good argument with her tonight, and that's just what I need to make my birthday complete."

"No I haven't," Sokka shouted back.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Aang either," Suki added.

"Give you three guesses to where they could be," Mai whispered to Sokka, with a smirk on her face, "And the first doesn't count."

"No, Sokka WAIT!" Toph called after him but to no avail, "I have a feeling this is gonna turn ugly fast."

And sure enough it did. Toph heard the yell of Sokka finding whom he was looking for, who had been tucked away behind a tapestry for most of the party, and Toph saw him shove Katara and Aang into the main room, walking them across the dance floor and over to Toph.

"Do you know where I found these two?" Sokka asked angrily.

"I would guess behind a tapestry making out," Toph answered, with none of her usual smugness. Sokka just stared in response.

"You knew the whole night and you didn't say anything?"

"Well yeah," Toph said, "It's my birthday, and I'm in a generous mood first off, and secondly I knew you'd cause a whole big scene. Which I didn't want!"

"Oh," came Sokka's weak response.

Aang and Katara had sensed the opportunity and grabbed it, sneaking off back to their tapestry, to resume doing what they had been doing when Sokka interrupted.

"Sokka, do you have anything to say to Toph?" Suki asked.

"Sorry, Toph," he muttered, which earned him a punch in the shoulder from Toph.

"Great," Suki said with a smile, "Now let's go dance."

As Suki pulled Sokka away, Toph grinned, looking up at Zuko who was leaning casually on the back of her chair. "You really were feeling generous," he remarked.

"What can I say? Generosity is one of my many traits," she said perching her legs on top of a stack of gifts.

A/N: yay! PARTAAAAY! Ok done now. This is for hpswst101 who gave me the prompt and who keeps reviewing and reading no matter what I write. Thx! Any more suggestions I'm willing to take.


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